Gangster Uzair Baloch’s brother shot, critically injured in Karachi’s Lyari: police

KARACHI: The brother of imprisoned Uzair Baloch, chief of the defunct People’s Amn Committee, was shot and critically wounded in Karachi’s Lyari area on Thursday evening, according to police. Chakiwara police, in a statement, said that Zubair Baloch, 40, was shot and injured on main Chakiwara Road, while two passersby were also injured. They were shifted to Civil Hospital Karachi. South Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Syed Asad Raza told Dawn that Zubair had been arrested in seven criminal cases in 2012 and was released in January 2025. He added that Zubair was sitting outside his residence in Singu Lane when armed suspects on a motorcycle opened fire on him and fled the scene. Zubair sustained multiple injuries, including to his chest and abdomen, and was undergoing surgery. DIG Raza noted that one of the injured passersby was also in serious condition. The DIG added that the police were investigating the incident from different angles, including gang rivalry and personal enmity. A social activist from the area told Dawn, on the condition of anonymity, that Zubair had joined a “political party” a few months ago and had raised its flags in his area. The activist also mentioned rumours in Lyari that some gangsters who had fled to Dubai and Iran after the Karachi operation had returned following the US-Iran war, and that residents were fearful of a possible resurgence of the past gang war in the area. They added that the attackers had covered their faces and fled when a nearby shopkeeper returned fire. Earlier in March, an anti-terrorism court (ATC) rejected bail applications of Uzair Baloch in seven cases pertaining to murder, police encounter and possession of explosives. Uzair, along with others, had been charged with attacking law enforcers with firearms and explosives in 2012 within the jurisdiction of the Kalakot police station. In April 2020, a military court had convicted Uzair Baloch of espionage and sentenced him to 12 years in jail.